"This book lets us peer into the world of microbes -- not as germs to be eradicated, but as invaluable parts of our lives -- allowing us to see how ubiquitous and vital microbes are: they sculpt our organs, defend us from disease, break down our food, educate our immune systems, guide our behavior, bombard our genomes with their genes, and grant us incredible abilities. While much of the prevailing discussion around the microbiome has focused on its...

With U.S. intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the President was forced to establish his own clandestine group, Covert-One. It is only activated as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out. In northern Uganda, an American special forces team is decimated by a group of normally peaceful farmers. Video of the attack shows even women and children possessing almost...

"Even the cleanest house is a habitat for micromonsters! But don't worry--most are harmless. This revealing volume takes readers on a meet-and-greet tour of the tiniest organisms that live in people's homes."--

Probablemente todo lo relacionado con los microbios te suene a suciedad, a enfermedades y a infecciones; y es cierto algunos microorganismos causan enfermedades incluso mortales, pero la inmensa mayoría de los microbios son muy beneficiosos, cuando no imprescindibles, para nosotros. Están por todas partes y por ellos es posible la vida en el planeta. También están dentro de nosotros. La microbiota es esa comunidad de microorganismos buenos que...

The discovery of cells—and the reframing of the human body as a cellular ecosystem—announced the birth of a new kind of medicine based on the therapeutic manipulations of cells. A hip fracture, a cardiac arrest, Alzheimer’s dementia, AIDS, pneumonia, lung cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, COVID pneumonia—all could be reconceived as the results of cells, or systems of cells, functioning abnormally. And all could be perceived as loci of cellular...

"When a super sickness lands on the land, when a parasite becomes more than a pest, when an infection ignites an epidemic, what's a body to do? Your body is an animal body, so why not ask the animals? Follow the scientists, around the world and into their labs, who are studying animals and the germs that attack them. From fungus-ridden frogs with fevers to bacteria-resistant buzzards and everything in-between, animals have A LOT to teach us about...